GridNet NOW aims to make power grid smarter

Today in Washington, D.C., five companies announced a strategic alliance aimed at helping bring small grid operators modernize their power systems.

GridNet NOW, as the alliance calls itself, is to focus on the smart grid requirements of municipal and cooperative utilities. The new alliance claims to offer a suite of services helping utilities plan, develop, implement and manage a successful path to electric transmission and distribution grid modernization.

The group believes it's addressing a market largely ignored by the large information technology and business transformation consulting firms.

Services are to include:

• Wireless broadband communications infrastructure for transmission and distribution automation
• Advanced metering designed for needs defined by utilities
• Advanced monitoring and control schemes required by a move to a more intelligent grid
• Smart grid strategies and projects enabling improvements in reliability, asset utilization and penetration and integration of renewable resources

“This is not just another alliance doing research, scoping and selling transmission and distribution system hardware,” said Erich Gunther of GridNet NOW. “We are focusing on ensuring that the smaller utilities can also realize the benefits of the next generation smart grid.”

With 30 percent of consumers, and more than 50 percent of the electric services across the nation, cooperative and municipal utilities have different challenges than large investor-owned and public power companies.

Rural cooperatives, and state and municipal utilities face the greatest operational and management challenges from aging infrastructure and years of sub-standard capital investment in technology. GridNet NOW said it's focused on these specific challenges, with solutions specifically designed for the municipal and cooperative utilities.

Each company in the GridNet NOW alliance has contributed to leading smart grid projects across the country. And each of the founding firms has participated in leading industry organizations such as GridWise, IntelliGrid and Galvin over the past two years.

Founding companies in the alliance include:

EnerNex - Electric power research, engineering and consulting services to government, utilities, industry and private institutions. Specialties in utility communication and automation, advanced metering infrastructure and general modernization activities.

UTInnovation - Consulting services and training for the implementation of open systems for protection, control and data acquisition in power systems.

GridAgents - Provider of software that monitors, processes aggregates, and coordinates streaming data from multiple sources or devices. Applicable to any community of smart devices or sensors.

Arcadian Networks - Telecommunications carrier providing a private, secure wireless data communication network for utilities and other 'dispersed-asset' industries in a wide portion of the rural United States.

Horizon Energy Group - Systems integrator and consulting company specializing in optimization of client systems performance, advanced energy programs and projects, and developing forward-looking energy strategies and technologies.

The group made today's announcement at GridWeek 2007, a four day gathering focused on the modernization of the power grid.